OWNER-DRIVER JOHN TEMPLETON OWNS NOT ONE BUT TWO OF THE BEST KNOWN CUSTOMISED SCANIAS IN THE COUNTY. HIS GOTHIC THEMED 143 WITH MATCHING ZVVZ BULK POWDER TANK TRAILER, AND R730 ‘SUPERHEROES’ TRACTOR UNIT ARE REGULARS ON THE SHOW CIRCUIT AND HAVE SCOOPED MANY AWARDS ALONG THE WAY. BULK & TIPPER TELLS THE STORY OF HOW HE HAS STEADILY BUILT HIS BUSINESS OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES.
John Templeton comes from an agricultural background and farmed for many years, driving Leyland, Bedford and ERF lorries to haul hay, straw and livestock as part of the job. After suffering an accident at work on the farm he was unable to continue, and was forced to seek out an alternative career. “Driving was the logical step as I had done plenty of it already, so I went and got my own truck,” he explains. He started out 15 years ago with a Volvo tractor unit and Fruehauf tipper, subcontracting for T French & Sons, hauling coal from the open cast mines which were still prevalent in the west of Scotland at that time. “There was a lot of local work taking the coal to rail heads or harbours, plus some long distance as well, where we’d run to the east of England to sugar beet factories that liked a particular brand of coal,” recalls Templeton. The coal era was drawing to a close though and the work began to slow down.
Before it stopped altogether Templeton went to look for alternative work and he took on a job hauling cement for a local builder.
THE SCHMITZ CARGOBULL GOTHA PRODUCTION PLANT IN GERMANY, WHICH PRODUCES A FULL RANGE OF TIPPING TRAILERS AND RIGID STEEL BODIES FOR ALL MARKETS, ORGANISED A PRESS EVENT AND FACTORY VISIT WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY BULK & TIPPER.
The long-established facility is about three hours northeast of Frankfurt in Thuringia and prior to reunification, was in the former East Germany for many years, with a long history of trailer and cart building in the area. The site original built fairground carousels, a big business in Europe at the late 19th and early 20th centuries, afterwards it moved into trailer production, with the first tipper built in 1935. For a period after WW2, it built complete commercial vehicles under the IFA brand, for use in the DDR and other East European markets.
Schmitz first took a controlling interest in the operation 25 years ago, taking the operation completely under its ownership in 2006. It has invested heavily in the operation and it is now a thoroughly modern operation, with a high level of automation in the flowline assembly and production process, with all parts and components in substations next to the line.
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SHROPSHIRE-BASED EVANS AGGREGATES, RUNNING A FLEET OF RIGID AND ARTIC TIPPERS, SUPPLIES AGGREGATES AND OTHER MATERIAL FOR BUILDING, LANDSCAPING, AND ASPECTS OF THE HOME DIY MARKETS. BULK & TIPPER REPORTS.
At times it seems as if change takes for ever in most parts of the UK – to a certain extent this is true – but gradual change over a long period is generally long lasting. Many parts of the country have undergone radical changes in the last three or four decades, although many of us fail to notice just how much things have changed – unless you stand well back and take stock of the situation. Transport operators must respond to changes in the market, as a service industry it is difficult to influence customer requirements, realistically the only way to achieve this, is to refocus your own operation, expand the range of services offered and significantly widen the customer base.
Recognising that potential demand in the area in which the business is based is changing is crucial to growing a business, particularly in areas where the local economy was previously based upon agriculture and a few key industries. Often better roads and communications lead to inward investment.
IN EVERY WALK OF LIFE, THERE IS RARELY A REAL SUBSTITUTE FOR A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE. THIS MOST DEFINITELY APPLIES TO ROAD TRANSPORT AND RICHARD EDDOLLS, BASED IN CRICKLADE, WILTSHIRE, HAS SPENT ALMOST ALL HIS 50-PLUS YEARS IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER OF BULK TIPPER HAULAGE. BULK & TIPPER FINDS OUT ABOUT HIS LIFE AND HIS WORK WITH TIPPERS AS WELL AS THE HUGE VARIETY OF VEHICLES HE HAS OWNED AND DRIVEN.
Richard Eddolls has run almost every type and configuration of tipper over the years, everything from simple Bedford TK rigids to modern-day Scania R series eight wheelers – with real oddballs such as Russian-built 6×4 dumpers used on earthmoving work when the Swindon section of the M4 motorway was built in the 1970s. He has cut the fleet back to three eight wheelers in recent years. Rising costs, strong competition – often from out of the area – and the relative shortage of good drivers have prompted this. He has run the business with the assistance of his son Shane for many years. Vehicle presentation and maintaining high standards have always been the watchword.
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WALTER MARCHBANK, BASED IN DUMFRIES, SCOTLAND, IS A COMPANY THAT MAINTAINS BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS AND CONTINUES TO CARRY OUT THE SAME WORK IT DID OVER 50 YEARS AGO. NO BUSINESS CAN AFFORD TO STAND STILL THOUGH, AND EXPANSION THROUGH EXPERTISE HAS SEEN IT THROUGH SOME TRICKY TIMES FOR BOTH BULK TIPPER HAULIER AND THE ECONOMY IN GENERAL. BULK & TIPPER REPORTS.
As our world seems to change ever more rapidly, it’s interesting and perhaps comforting to note instances where things have either remained constant, or come full circle. Especially against today’s backdrop of advancing technology and corporate expansion where little note is paid to nostalgia or the appreciation of times gone by. Many haulage firms were borne out of a need specific to the local region, shifting basic essentials that we still need today and probably always will. Farms and fish to feed us, quarries, mines and forests to keep us sheltered and warm – all as essential as ever and all have been serviced by diesel powered trucks now for over 100 years. Many companies have come and gone, but there are still some out there doing what they do best.
The date Walter Marchbank first set up in business is lost to the mists of time, but he started work possibly as far back as 1929. The Dumfriesshire family-run company is now in its third generation, with brothers Kenny, Walter (Wattie) and Davie at the helm.
A REMOTE-CONTROL TRAILER HITCHING SOLUTION THAT AUTOMATES THE COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING PROCESS, INCLUDING AIR, ELECTRICS, AND BRAKES.
The technology employed in truck and semi-trailer couplings is pretty well tried and tested, the standard two-inch kingpin, single oscillating 5th wheel coupling has become the standard for most applications. Most UK operators favour lighter and cheaper pressed steel couplings for lighter weights, but the heavy-duty cast version is almost universally used for heavier, tougher applications.
Proven 5th wheel technology is pretty much the norm throughout the world, although older readers will remember when there were other options in use – automated couplings from Scammell and others were popular for lighter weight use – particularly where trailers were swapped multiple times per day. Early versions of this system had automatic connection of the electrical connections and operation of the hydraulically actuated, rod-operated braking systems used on vehicles in the immediate post-war years. This enabled drivers to swap trailers with little need to leave the cab, but changes to the Construction and Use regulations, along with the introduction of Plating and Testing demanded higher levels of braking efficiency meant that the automatic coupling system lost its time saving advantage.
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FLEET OPERATORS WILL NEED TO IMPROVE SAFETY AND REDUCE OPERATING COSTS WITH A GREATER CO-OPERATION BETWEEN VEHICLE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM SUPPLIERS AND THE DATA GATHERERS. BULK & TIPPER FEATURES THE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN MOTORMAX AND SAMSARA.
Clearly the decisions about the UK’s Net Zero plans have been made and we are now on a path to a new era for motorised transport. To allow for the greater complexities of transitioning to carbon free power, newly registered trucks will need to be zero emission by 2035 for vehicles weighing up to 26-tonnes GVW and by 2040 for all newly registered HGVs. New cars will have to make the move by 2030. That is a short enough time to build the charging infrastructure, battery production facilities, hydrogen distribution network and whatever else will be required. Even so, switching to electrically powered vehicles is just one aspect of the complete picture. It is widely expected that since the government will not be able to levy fuel duty on electricity, because it will be impossible to distinguish whether electricity is used for charging vehicles or some other purpose, a whole infrastructure will need to be built to support road tolling. Fuel tax will likely be replaced with charges to use the motorway network, at least.
THE LANCASHIRE BASED RUTTLE GROUP ENCOMPASSES SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMPANIES ENGAGED IN A VERY WIDE RANGE OF ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES IN PLANT HIRE, CONTRACTING, PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT AND MANY OTHER FIELDS. THE ONE ACTIVITY THAT COULD BE SAID LINKS ALL THESE DIVISIONS TOGETHER IS THE TRANSPORT OPERATION, IN THE FORM OF ITS FLEET OF TIPPERS AND THE HEAVY HAULAGE OPERATION. BULK & TIPPER REPORTS.
Commencing operations back in the 1950s as an agricultural contractor serving the local farming community, the original operation has grown and diversified in a great many ways. It’s now working throughout the country and with further operations in North America and beyond. As a result, the family-owned operation has a considerable presence in the UK market. The move into running a fleet of tippers to work alongside its plant and construction equipment, along with servicing numerous outside clients, was made many years ago.
The range of activities undertaken include plant hire and sales, waste transfer facilities, with full recycling of a wide range of materials with extensive facilities, including modular washing plants creating high quality soils, aggregates and other products. The contracting division undertakes all manner of large-scale projects, including earth moving, soil stabilisation, quarrying, demolition, landfill sites, coastal defence work and many other activities.
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